Oil-Dri Corporation Of America (ODC) & Zep (ZEP) Head-To-Head Review

Oil-Dri Corporation Of America (NYSE: ODC) and Zep (NYSE:ZEP) are both basic materials companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, risk, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations and profitability.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for Oil-Dri Corporation Of America and Zep, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings

Hold Ratings

Buy Ratings

Strong Buy Ratings

Rating Score

Oil-Dri Corporation Of America

0

0

0

0

N/A

Zep

0

0

0

0

N/A

Institutional & Insider Ownership

54.0% of Oil-Dri Corporation Of America shares are held by institutional investors. 13.9% of Oil-Dri Corporation Of America shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Oil-Dri Corporation Of America and Zep’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins

Return on Equity

Return on Assets

Oil-Dri Corporation Of America

5.63%

12.39%

7.15%

Zep

0.10%

0.34%

0.12%

Dividends

Oil-Dri Corporation Of America pays an annual dividend of $0.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. Zep does not pay a dividend. Oil-Dri Corporation Of America pays out 45.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Oil-Dri Corporation Of America has increased its dividend for 4 consecutive years and Zep has increased its dividend for 14 consecutive years.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Oil-Dri Corporation Of America and Zep’s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue

Price/Sales Ratio

EBITDA

Earnings Per Share

Price/Earnings Ratio

Oil-Dri Corporation Of America

$261.45 million

1.25

$28.61 million

$2.02

22.09

Zep

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Oil-Dri Corporation Of America has higher revenue and earnings than Zep.

Summary

Oil-Dri Corporation Of America beats Zep on 7 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

Oil-Dri Corporation Of America Company Profile

Oil-Dri Corporation of America is engaged in developing, manufacturing and/or marketing sorbent products. The Company operates through two segments: Retail and Wholesale Products Group, and Business to Business Products Group. The Retail and Wholesale Products Group’s customers include mass merchandisers, wholesale clubs, drugstore chains, dollar stores, distributors of industrial cleanup and automotive products, environmental service companies and sports field product users. The Business to Business Products Group’s customers include processors and refiners of edible oils, petroleum-based oils and biodiesel fuel; manufacturers of animal feed and agricultural chemicals; distributors of animal health and nutrition products, and marketers of consumer products. Its products include agricultural and horticultural products, animal health and nutrition products, bleaching clay and purification aid products, cat litter products, industrial and automotive products, and sports products.

Zep Company Profile

Zep Inc. is a consumable chemical packaged goods company, providing a variety of chemicals and related products and services that help professionals maintain, clean and protect their assets. The Company markets its products and services under brand names, including Zep, Zep Professional, Zep Commercial, Zep Automotive and other Zep Inc. brands. Its product portfolio, which is produced using more than 4,000 formulations, includes anti-bacterial and industrial hand care products, cleaners, degreasers, deodorizers, disinfectants, floor finishes, sanitizers, pest- and weed-control products, air-care products and delivery systems and a variety of automotive maintenance chemicals. The Company manufactures its products at nine facilities located in the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Italy, and United Kingdom.